by 21 May 2014, 19:02
Michael Marshall writes in The Guardian - 21st May 2014 that "Skeptics will always face an uphill struggle against pseudoscience".
Reading on, what he is calling "pseudoscience" here is actually in reference to mediums and their role in grief and bereavement.
He says:
What the author fails to recognise here, is that very often when people are at their most vulnerable, e.g. following a bereavement, it is not unusual (indeed, more common than Mr Marshall's limited research will allow him to accept) to find that the passing of a loved one can often be the very time that they will experience an unexpected 'paranormal' occurrence, or that loss in death can be the event that triggers the need to question further and to ponder on the question of some form of continuance of existence after the expiration of a body. For this reason, they will voluntarily seek out a medium.
It is simply wrong to suggest that all those mediums are waiting their chance to pounce on the vulnerability of the bereaved. In most cases, (though unfortuntely not all), it is quite the reverse.
It is also the time when folk are more receptive to their spiritual nature, and therefore more open to facilitating some form of contact from the recently passed, who, aware of the grief and despair of those left behind, may be desperately trying to convey a message through to their loved ones here that they do still have an awareness of what they have left behind, that they still exist to an extent - and this is where the medium comes in.
I would suggest that Mr Marshall's 'uphill struggle' could be considerably lessened, if only he were willing to drop the boulder, look around to either side, rather than simply straight in front of him - and realise that there are other paths leading to the top of that 'hill'. Put some wheels under yer boulder, Mr Marshall, and pull it with ease at your leisure along the windy, picturesque scenic route. Take time to rest a while at intervals along the way and enjoy those surroundings.
Better still - Just ditch the boulder!
Michael Marshall writes in The Guardian - 21st May 2014 that "Skeptics will always face an uphill struggle against pseudoscience".
Reading on, what he is calling "pseudoscience" here is actually in reference to mediums and their role in grief and bereavement.
He says:
We have all lost someone close to us, and we have all felt the pain of bereavement. As skeptics, we have no magical answer to that pain.
At their lowest ebb, at their most vulnerable, that’s when people are most at risk of taking a logical misstep that, once made, is very hard to reverse.
What the author fails to recognise here, is that very often when people are at their most vulnerable, e.g. following a bereavement, it is not unusual (indeed, more common than Mr Marshall's limited research will allow him to accept) to find that the passing of a loved one can often be the very time that they will experience an unexpected 'paranormal' occurrence, or that loss in death can be the event that triggers the need to question further and to ponder on the question of some form of continuance of existence after the expiration of a body. For this reason, they will voluntarily seek out a medium.
It is simply wrong to suggest that all those mediums are waiting their chance to pounce on the vulnerability of the bereaved. In most cases, (though unfortuntely not all), it is quite the reverse.
It is also the time when folk are more receptive to their spiritual nature, and therefore more open to facilitating some form of contact from the recently passed, who, aware of the grief and despair of those left behind, may be desperately trying to convey a message through to their loved ones here that they do still have an awareness of what they have left behind, that they still exist to an extent - and this is where the medium comes in.
I would suggest that Mr Marshall's 'uphill struggle' could be considerably lessened, if only he were willing to drop the boulder, look around to either side, rather than simply straight in front of him - and realise that there are other paths leading to the top of that 'hill'. Put some wheels under yer boulder, Mr Marshall, and pull it with ease at your leisure along the windy, picturesque scenic route. Take time to rest a while at intervals along the way and enjoy those surroundings.
Better still - Just ditch the boulder!
by 
